In fact, because of the broadcast, we created a virtual Lean In Circle and already have members representing North Carolina, Texas, England, India and New Zealand!

As we discussed with Greg Gazin of GadgetGreg.com, accountability groups, such as Mastermind groups, LeanIn Circles, book clubs or other informal gatherings, provide entrepreneurs and other goal oriented people an opportunity to quantify and reach their respective goals in a supportive environment. On the show we talked about Mastermind Groups and Lean In Circles specifically as ways people can help each other with goal setting, accountability and personal growth.

Accountability

A couple of articles piqued my interest as I started delving into the topic of accountability some more. In some cases, an individual coach may be the […]

On a recent trip to the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, I enjoyed viewing their monument to their bulldog mascots over the years.

The plaque shown here really resonates with me as it talks about the virtues of the bulldog.

“The Bulldog embodies ‘beauty without vanity. Strength without insolence. Courage without ferocity and all the virtues of man without his vices.”

– Lord Byron, 1788-1824

Too many times we see the faults of men as noted in this quote, and wouldn’t it be nice if we thought about how much we can learn from dogs?

This quote resonates with me as well because of the idea that traits that we hold in esteem also can have a dark side to them if you allow it.

Beauty/Vanity, Strength/Insolence, and Courage/Ferocity are the two sides of the coin, and it would benefit us to choose the better side of the range of these personality traits. We all have a range of these depending on the mood, situation or circumstance.

May 2015

Don’t Settle for Comfortable

A speech can truly transform a person. I had the pleasure of hearing Past International President, Jana Barnhill, speak at the Toastmasters Conference in Chapel Hill the weekend of May 1-3rd. During one of her speeches, she challenged us to push ourselves and “Don’t Settle for Comfortable.”

As many of you know, I’ve often pushed the company into new directions. In the case of last year, we looked at the cartoon characters to work toward the children’s market. That’s still on the roadmap, but due to some personal challenges, that had to be put on the backburner. In fact, it might have been a blessing in disguise as we decided to move forward with an audio program with a partnership instead with Terry Bartlett (see previous post.)

April 2015

I’m proud to say that 1000 Cranes has been in business since September 2003!

We proudly filed our articles of organization with the State of North Carolina in 2003. We will be going on 12 years in business, and it hasn’t been without its challenges, but I’m thankful to say that this little business has continued to be a bridge to delivering key business principles and applying these to the nonprofit community.

That has been our niche for many years. We are in the business of helping nonprofit organizations become more effective through proven business practices to make them sustainable.

Part of the success of 1000 Cranes relies on the five principles that were created at the start of the business.

We call these the five philosophies which include:

1) Success comes from Faith and Vision

2) Success comes from Planning and Execution

3) Success comes from Embracing Change.

4) Success comes from Collaborative Relationships

5) Success comes from Helping Others.

Of all the philosophies listed here, the one that I believe has been the hardest to achieve for myself and […]

February 2015

Ready for Action. Some of you who may have followed this blog may recall my use of the Bitstrips program to create Cartoon Naomi scenarios. In one of those, I had a “Super Naomi” icon that I used for some promotions which gave a fun light-hearted view of the 1000 Cranes consulting practice. It is my avatar with a red cape ready for action! Needless to say, it’s amusing when life imitates art.

On January 30th, I was invited to Flat Rock, NC to hold one and 1/2 day strategic planning session for the Western Carolina Community Action (WCCA) nonprofit. They have been a loyal customer for nearly 10 years, and it was exciting to be able to continue our work together. The session went well in the morning, and we took a break for lunch before having a “lunch and learn” session regarding Fundraising Tips. This session was being digitally recorded in order to provide another resource for some 1000 Cranes customers. In […]

Future Goals. I am currently working toward a certification called the Toastmasters Accredited Speaker or “AS” for short. This is the second year for my application, and I’m hopeful that things will go well. As some of you know, I am a big football fan, and I am considering my recent application as my “Hail Mary” pass. Time will tell.

In the end, the committee may not pass me to Level 2 because I am not perfect as I flubbed my closing. At that point in the speech, though, I didn’t want to subject my audience to a re-recording since the committee wants an unedited video, and I will just have to live with it. I am an imperfect person, and it is what it is.

Continuous Support. My audience didn’t mind my flub and were supportive the whole way through. I do know this is better than my previous recordings, so I will likely submit this one. […]

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1000 Cranes empowers all of its clients, staff and collaborators to achieve their highest potential through its leadership development programs. We build relationships that last decades based on ongoing trust and support. 1000 Cranes delivers the best products and services with the highest level of integrity, cooperation, mutual success and enjoyment.

1000 Cranes promises to deliver the best quality leadership development programs and products. Every person who participates in a class or program should leave more enlightened, knowledgeable and empowered.